Issue 12, 2019

Drivers of bioaggregation from flocs to biofilms and granular sludge

Abstract

Microorganisms in natural and engineered environments interact with surfaces and form aggregates consisting of cells and an extracellular matrix. The design of the process and appropriate operational conditions drive the formation of these biofilms, flocs, and granular structures. The application of granular sludge technologies for nutrient removal is relatively new. Although research and practice benefit from several decades of investigation of biofilm and anaerobic granular sludge systems, a thorough understanding of factors affecting granulation is only beginning to emerge from bench, pilot, and full-scale investigations. Challenges intrinsic to maintaining granular and biofilm structures include management of resistance to substrate transport, establishment of targeted microbial niches, role of extracellular polymeric substances, and impacts of toxic compounds, among others. There is increasing recognition of the potential value of hybrid process configurations that optimize interactions between flocs, granules, and/or biofilm features for process enhancement and robustness. While these structures appear distinct, it is not uncommon to find a mixture of these structures present in a single system and dynamics leading to a transition from one structure to another. The transitions are dependent on changes in the microbial community and properties of the extracellular matrix. This review focuses on the drivers affecting formation and stability of flocs, biofilms, and granules and conditions that support integrated technologies for biological wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract: Drivers of bioaggregation from flocs to biofilms and granular sludge

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
30 মে 2019
Accepted
22 চেপ্টে 2019
First published
23 চেপ্টে 2019

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2019,5, 2072-2089

Drivers of bioaggregation from flocs to biofilms and granular sludge

H. Aqeel, D. G. Weissbrodt, M. Cerruti, G. M. Wolfaardt, B. Wilén and S. N. Liss, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2019, 5, 2072 DOI: 10.1039/C9EW00450E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements